Post C Diff IBS

[Brenna]

Hi, all - I am a 25 year old, otherwise healthy, female, diagnosed with C Diff after taking a round of cefdinir for a suspected sinus infection in late July. It took 5-6 weeks for a test to come back positive for C Diff and my constant D subsided after taking 10 days of Vancomycin. Initially, I felt great! I went back to my “old life”; however, a couple months after treatment, I started to have flare ups that resembles IBS symptoms: nausea, abdominal cramping, gas, bloating, odd looking stool. I know the stomach bug has been going around - but in the last two weeks, I have woken up in the middle of the night to vomit on more than one occasion (seems odd that I caught the stomach bug twice). My mom suggested it could be related to anxiety (I’m on anxiety meds, and have been for years, but never has it resulted in vomiting). I went a GI and retested for C diff even though i wasn’t experiencing D (which seemed odd to me considering I know the spores can stick around giving off positives without needing treatment and I had a couple false negative tests previously). It came back negative anyway. He didn’t seem to offer too much advice or have much experience with c diff, so I am going to find a different GI. Right now, I have more bad days than good and am lucky if I can get out of bed. I’ve been following a low FODMAP diet and taking a very high strain of probiotics religiously, but it’s not enough. I know post infectious IBS is common for many, but is vomiting typical, or should I be more concerned? For those of you who have suffered from IBS after C diff, how long did it last (months, years..)? (Basically, I want to know if there’s a light at the end of the tunnel or if i have to get used to this life). Are there any vitamins or supplements that have helped you? I live across the country from all my family, and am thinking about moving back home for a while so I have some support - emotionally and physically. Thankfully, I work from home, but I feel like I’m at the end of my rope and the doctors I’ve seen are less than helpful. Thank you so much in advance!

[beth22]

Hi and welcome to the site. Please read the first forum for information for new posters. I am sorry that you have continuing GI problems, especially the vomiting. You are correct in that vomiting is not a common symptom of c difficile, although nausea is. I would definitely see a GI and have it looked into. You may need to have some scans or even an upper endoscopy done. Meanwhile, try to eat bland food.

[sammyp]

Vomiting is not typical for CDiff. A couple things:

I've been CDiff free for 4.5 months but I still have episodes where I wake up nauseated in the middle of the night. I'm almost positive it's anxiety. I don't necessarily feel anxious before it happens but I think we internalize a lot more anxiety than we think. I had anxiety pre-CDiff and was on meds but CDiff gave me PTSD and the anxiety is much, much worse. Your mom may be correct to think that it's anxiety related. You may want to follow up with a psychiatrist to talk about your current med regime. You may need to up your dose or try something in conjunction with what you're using. Increased anxiety after CDiff is quite common.

IBS is extremely common post CDiff. IBS flares can be quite severe. It's best to eat a bland diet, stay hydrated, and be under the care of a good GI doc when this happens.

As for your probiotic regimen - that could be causing tummy upset. I found out pretty early on that I can't handle any multi-strain probiotics without nausea, bloating and gas. I stopped taking them and my daily symptoms decreased. You may need to try taking a different brand, taking less, or not taking them at all. Everyone is different with what they can tolerate.

Even at 4.5 months out from treatment, I have bad days. Two nights ago I had the wake-up nausea. Four days ago, I had terrible bloating and gas that I think is IBS related. Recovery is slow going and requires patience, unfortunately. As long as you're not having profuse watery D for at least 3 consecutive days in a row, it's likely not CDiff.